[Hokie_B]

Hey everyone, I'm going to be stocking a 12 gal Fluval Edge (yup I know on the small side but my wife was ok with how it looks in the living room) soon and wanted to plan it out before just buying fish. I really want to get some Odessa Barbs and was wondering if I could also put say 3 White Cloud Mountain Minnows in with them? I know they like the same water parameters and my tank is almost done cycling and about 72 deg and 7.2 pH. Will the Odessa's nip at them too much though? I know it'll be fully stocked as well, so maybe 5 Odessa's and 3 WCMMs? Thanks for any advice!!

 

[Veritas]

I wouldn't put Odessa Barbs in there. Too small of a footprint for a pretty active, schooling fish.

 

[bigbadjon]

I think maybe you should just get seven odessa barbs to start, or drop the barbs and get a dozen white clouds. I think you'll get more interesting behavior with a bigger group of either.

 

[dpod]

Stick with the white clouds in a tank like that. It's too small for Odessa barbs.

 

[Hokie_B]

Yeah I was kind of afraid of that of course. I guess I thought having 2 types of fish would be more interesting. But I am starting to cave and realize that just having one school (hopefully Odessa's) might be the best option...

I think I might also try to add some Red Rili Shrimp in there before adding the fish as well. that'll give it more character as well as a good clean up crew. I'm sure most/all baby shrimp won't make it of course, but hopefully the adults won't be bothered by the Odessa's. I've tried to research a bunch online and find mixed opinions on that one. The tank is pretty well planted with a (almost there) carpet of Monte Carlo and some Anubias Nana and Anubias Nana petite so they should have some cover as well. Anyone have success with this?

 

[bigbadjon]

I don't keep shrimp so I don't know how big that species gets. I do keep lots of barbs though and I wouldn't trust a 2 in odessa barbs with any 1 in shrimp.

 

[Veritas]

Yeah I was kind of afraid of that of course. I guess I thought having 2 types of fish would be more interesting. But I am starting to cave and realize that just having one school (hopefully Odessa's) might be the best option...

I think I might also try to add some Red Rili Shrimp in there before adding the fish as well. that'll give it more character as well as a good clean up crew. I'm sure most/all baby shrimp won't make it of course, but hopefully the adults won't be bothered by the Odessa's. I've tried to research a bunch online and find mixed opinions on that one. The tank is pretty well planted with a (almost there) carpet of Monte Carlo and some Anubias Nana and Anubias Nana petite so they should have some cover as well. Anyone have success with this?

no offense, but I think you are missing the point.

Odessa Barbs are a schooling fish (need 6+) that are fairly active and at 3 inches long - need lots of swimming room. The 12 gallon Fluval Edge has a very short length footprint - only 16 inches. Most barbs are recommended to have 36 inches of length for swimming room - otherwise you will start getting aggression issues.

Most here would recommend you stick with nano fish (around 1.5 inches long) for an Edge setup. There are plenty of attractive nanos.

 

[bigbadjon]

In this case I feel he could get away with keepinf a small group in a small aquarium, at least for awhile. For all the sources that claim this barb to get 3 inches I have never seen one go past 2 inches in an aquarium. The biggest I have ever seen were maybe 2.5 and were grown out in a pond.

 

[dpod]

While there's no question that you could keep a school of six odessa barbs in a 16" cube(ish), it's just not a good match of fish to tank. Stocking it with shrimps and white clouds (check out meteor minnows, the long-fin gold morph) is a much better idea for the happiness of the inhabitants.

 

[Hokie_B]

Veritas, I know you don't mean to offend. The following site (very reputable) Pethia padamya ? Odessa Barb (Puntius padamya) ? Seriously Fish says the largest on record is 46.4mm, which is only 1.8 inches. Of course other sites range up to 3". selectaquatics.com, where I was looking at ordering from, says theirs are 2.5" max. So I have done research and am still on the fence about it. Obviously I would hope they'd be an ok fit since I think they look sweet, but recognize that it's a close call so that's why I'm here.

Interesting how there are always a huge range of opinions and previous observations on forums, which can be helpful.

 

[Betta132]

Odessas are very, very active. Even a 1.5" one would really need more space than a 12g, so a school of them will turn your tank into a whirl of upset, chaotic fish who will probably bully/murder anything you put with them.

 

[theatermusic87]

I think the white clouds are to active as well... I inherited some for a 25g and they look a bit cramped

 

[NotCousteau]

My local store keeps most of its fish in 20 gallon longs, and the odessa barbs make full use of those 30 inches. Odessa barbs in a small tank smells like bad news for the fish.

 

[Hokie_B]

Been years since I've had an aquarium, thanks for the help! I didn't think about the activity level of the type of fish when looking at options. Sounds like if I keep Odessas (even only Odessas) it will be at the least risky. Too bad we didn't have room for the 20gal.

Think I'll get some of those red rili shrimp and then start looking at smaller schooling fish. Cardinal tetras are of course an option but I might want something less common too. Maybe Endlers? Hmm...

 

[Veritas]

Good! glad you didn't take what I was saying personally. I think one thing you could do.....buy a small school of 6, and then talk the wife into a larger aquarium once they start growing! They are beautiful fish!

Have you considered Ember Tetras? They are super small (max around an inch) and very personable. Once they color up - their orange glow looks amazing in a planted tank.

Good luck!

Veritas, I know you don't mean to offend. The following site (very reputable) Pethia padamya ? Odessa Barb (Puntius padamya) ? Seriously Fish says the largest on record is 46.4mm, which is only 1.8 inches. Of course other sites range up to 3". selectaquatics.com, where I was looking at ordering from, says theirs are 2.5" max. So I have done research and am still on the fence about it. Obviously I would hope they'd be an ok fit since I think they look sweet, but recognize that it's a close call so that's why I'm here.

Interesting how there are always a huge range of opinions and previous observations on forums, which can be helpful.

 

[FuzzyCrawdad]

Ember tetras - while plain in that they're only red - still get very pretty and they stay small, and they're not SUPER active. Still active but not crazily so.

Honestly, an ember/shrimp tank would look sweet. Or even look into some dwarf rainbowfish, they're good in small numbers just as much as they are in large (depending on the species, some you don't want to put in big schools) and they're all beautiful. Threadfin rainbows only get 30-40mm in length, if you wanted to check them out.

 

[GrampsGrunge]

As an alternative, the Gelius Dwarf Barb.. Pethia gelius ? Golden Dwarf Barb (Puntius gelius, Cyprinus canius) ? Seriously Fish

*might* be OK with a group of 6 by themselves in a 12 gallon tank. They live in sluggish moving, small streams in India and Bangladesh. They don't get much bigger than a inch, to an inch and a quarter.

 

[Hokie_B]

Thanks for the great suggestions! I slightly like the Ember tetras, but think I like the chili or espei rasboras a little better. I've looked at rainbowfish but I find disagreeing data on what pH they can live in. My water is relatively high pH and don't want to go through the hassle of RO water just yet as I'm hoping to keep this tank low maintenance, so I'm looking at a pH of about 7.2-7.4 but I've found some sites that have threadfins only up to 6.5 but then some up to 8.0 for some reason.

Perhaps I could keep just 1 or a pair of Aphyosemion australe Killifish since it will only get up to 2" and then have a school of the espei rasboras as they are only 1"?

 

[GrampsGrunge]

If you do go with White Clouds, note that they do much better when kept in the low 70's to 69-ish degrees.

 

[Hokie_B]

Thanks Gramps! My tank is unheated so it's sitting at 72 daily so that was actually a large factor in why I was first looking at them. I've noticed in pictures that some have a black horizontal line down their sides but then some don't. I think I've figured out that this is the "Vietnamese" variant and it is slightly smaller than the one with only a white line down its side. Is this correct? I think I like the Vietnamese minnows better but still looking at Rasboras right now too.